So, the GSB is over for another year - I hope everyone had an excellent time getting out and observing all the local biodiversity you could find! Our umbrella project has observations from over 7,000 iNaturalist users. Perhaps not everyone was observing for the GSB but certainly, many were.
Like most things, we get better at it the more we practice! If this was your first-time Bioblitzin' then perhaps you're at the 'Participation Award' level, or did you reach 'Beginner Bioblitzer' status?
Personally, it felt like I gave it a seriously big go with 420 species on the project - but by this scale, there is still more to strive for and more levels to climb!
This scale works by how many species someone observed.
To look at the table of the top 500 species observers:
click on observers
on the table of users, click on species (with a little downwards arrow next to it)
wait a moment for the table to reshuffle
(Please note this is a completely made-up ranking scale that is probably best viewed in the light-hearted manner it was written in)
1-10 Species observed - “Did you mean to Participate? Award” Thanks, you have tried iNaturalist as an app and made a login account! Maybe you had a go! Well done! Or maybe you didn’t even know the GSB was on and put up an incidental observation inside a project area.. maybe aim to commit more than the 10 minutes you spent out of the 4 day bioblitz next year!? 😛
unknown - placeholder:shell
11-20 Species observed - “Participation Award” - Chances are you had a go at the GSB this year and hopefully now you’ve realised it is great getting outside and admiring biodiversity! The challenge now becomes remembering the names and something about the new lifeforms you met this bioblitz, and keeping up the practice so you can level up to become a real ‘Bioblitzer’ next year!
unknown - placeholder: wallaby
21-50 Species observed - Beginner Bioblitzer - “You’re beginning to believe..” OK, it has taken a reasonable effort to get this result. You’ve earned not being teased like the two previous levels. You’ve most likely committed an hour or more to taking the pictures, and then more time to upload them - thanks, your contribution to citizen science and biodiversity understanding is acknowledged and calmly celebrated.
Needs ID - Noisy Miner
51 - 100 Species observed - Basic Bioblitzer - You’re doing it! For the love of biodiversity and representing your local area and country in the Great Southern Bioblitz. I’ll bet you found some amazing things. Feel free to share them with other biodiversity lovers around here.
101-200 Species observed - Notable Bioblitzer - Once you get to 100 species observed, you’re into around the top 5% of observers for the GSB - well done - now the question is, will your journey towards greatness continue?
Boaz is a high-level CNC bioblitzer! Usually from the States this year he ventured south and got to contribute a day to the GSB
201-300 Species observed - Bioblitz Master - over 200 species usually gets you into the top 100 species observers in the southern hemisphere - out of 7,000 observers, that is an impressive effort!
Research Grade: Rhyothemis graphiptera
301-400 Species observed - Bioblitz Lifestyle - to get this many species, you have observed every day of the GSB and likely had a written plan of the best and most biodiverse places to go - you have nearly cracked the top ten for species observation in the whole southern hemisphere, but not quite!
401-500 Species observed - Bioblitz Pro - you take bioblitz to new, exceptionally high level - sleep is at minimum, you’ve likely taken observations at the technical start of Friday (12:01AM), and gone until midnight on Monday night with your moth light which is a tool you are already familiar with. Species observations at this level likely get you into the top ten species observers in the whole southern hemisphere - the top %0.001
Research Grade: Ardices curvata
501-999 Species observed - Bioblitz Legend - Let’s be clear, it is extremely difficult to observe this many species in 4 days. It is likely you live in an extremely biodiverse area and are already very familiar with a wide variety of plant and animal groups - perhaps even fungi! To many people, you’re considered quite nuts, but in this forum, we admire and idolise you. You’re driven to document and share the amazing lifeforms that are in your local area. You’re a rare, exceptional bioblitzer. There’s a few South Africans at this level! Lekker! And a couple of Aussies.
1000+ Species observed - Bioblitz Overlord
The Bioblitz Highlander: “There Can Be Only One”
The only bioblitzer to ever get over 1,000 species in the GSB, and he's done it for the 3rd year in a row. Bioblitzing with this guy is a game of keep up until you drop - and a constant question of “how come I didn’t see that?” - exceptionally talented as a naturalist and as a photographer, he has topped the species count again and continues to put Coffs Harbour on the map. The undisputed champion of bioblitzin' in the southern hemisphere, perhaps the whole world! Well done!
